Avondale man pleads guilty to sexual assault of inmate at Phoenix reintegration center

INDEPENDENT NEWS MEDIA

Authorities said a 51-year-old Avondale man has admitted to sexually assaulting an inmate at a Phoenix reintegration center.

Morris Gary Hibbitt worked as a security manager for Behavioral Systems Southwest and pleaded guilty to the crime on June 17 before U.S. District Judge John Z. Boyle, according to a news release issued this week by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Arizona.

The Federal Bureau of Prisons contracts with BSS to help prisoners return to the community after their prison sentences. Prisoners at BSS remain in the official custody and care of BOP.

According to the release, on May 21, 2023, while on duty, Hibbitt sexually harassed a female inmate under his supervision.